W orking with the Angels: TheYoung Child and

Working with theAngels:The YoungChild and the Spiritual World

Compiled from articles publishedin the Newsletter of the WaldorfEarly Childhood Association of North A merica

T H E G A T E W A Y S S E R I E S T W O

Working with theAngels:The YoungChild and the Spiritual World

Compiled from articles publishedin the Newsletter of the WaldorfEarly Childhood Association of North A merica

T H E G A T E W A Y S S E R I E S T W O

The publisher wishes to acknowledge the former and present editors of Gateways -

Joan Almon, Nicola Tarshis, and Stephen Spitalny.

This book is a collection of essays and articles that originally appeared in Gateways and other publications.

All have been printed with the permission of the authors.

Editor: Susan HowardManaging Editor: Lydia Roberson

Cover Art: Richard NealCover Design: Dale Hushbeck

Layout and Design: Roland WillwerthGraphics: Erica Merkling

Text Editing: Barbara Audley, John Minderhout, Christine Bosch, and Jennifer Kleinbach

Administrative Support: Patti Regan, Melissa Lyons and Anne Jimenez

This publication is made possible through a grant from the Waldorf Curriculum Fund.

Copyright Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 2004

Published in the United States by the Waldorf Early ChildhoodAssociation of North America

285 Hungry Hollow Road, Spring Valley, NY 10977

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data0972223819 Volume 2

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any formwithout the written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations

embodied in critical reviews and articles.

The publisher wishes to acknowledge the former and present editors of Gateways -

Joan Almon, Nicola Tarshis, and Stephen Spitalny.

This book is a collection of essays and articles that originally appeared in Gateways and other publications.

All have been printed with the permission of the authors.

Editor: Susan HowardManaging Editor: Lydia Roberson

Cover Art: Richard NealCover Design: Dale Hushbeck

Layout and Design: Roland WillwerthGraphics: Erica Merkling

Text Editing: Barbara Audley, John Minderhout, Christine Bosch, and Jennifer Kleinbach

Administrative Support: Patti Regan, Melissa Lyons and Anne Jimenez

This publication is made possible through a grant from the Waldorf Curriculum Fund.

Copyright Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, 2004

Published in the United States by the Waldorf Early ChildhoodAssociation of North America

285 Hungry Hollow Road, Spring Valley, NY 10977

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data0972223819 Volume 2

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any formwithout the written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations

embodied in critical reviews and articles.

Contents

Preface Susan Howard v

Working with the Angels

Working with the Angels, Archangels and Archai 3Helmut von Kgelgen

Conversation about Angels and Human Beings 7Helmut von Kgelgen

Finding a Connection to the World of the Angels 15Helmut von Kgelgen

The Meaning of Angels in Education 23and Self-Education Michaela Glckler, M.D.

The Destiny of the Child in Our Times

Working with the Karma of the Young Child 29Margret Meyerkort

Walking and the Incarnation of Destiny Joan Almon 37

Continuing the Work of the Hierarchies Werner Glas 45

Early Childhood and the Consciousness Soul 49Joan Almon

Threshold Experiences 55of Children and Adults Helmut von Kgelgen

Religion of the Young Child Elizabeth MooreHaas 59

The Gateway of Birth - the Sistine Madonna

Raphaels Sistine Madonna: 69Is It Appropriate in the Kindergarten? Ren Querido

The Sistine Madonna in the Waldorf Kindergarten 73Joan Almon

The Sistine Madonna - 77Symbol of the Eternal in Humanity Rudolf Steiner

Contents

Preface Susan Howard v

Working with the Angels

Working with the Angels, Archangels and Archai 3Helmut von Kgelgen

Conversation about Angels and Human Beings 7Helmut von Kgelgen

Finding a Connection to the World of the Angels 15Helmut von Kgelgen

The Meaning of Angels in Education 23and Self-Education Michaela Glckler, M.D.

The Destiny of the Child in Our Times

Working with the Karma of the Young Child 29Margret Meyerkort

Walking and the Incarnation of Destiny Joan Almon 37

Continuing the Work of the Hierarchies Werner Glas 45

Early Childhood and the Consciousness Soul 49Joan Almon

Threshold Experiences 55of Children and Adults Helmut von Kgelgen

Religion of the Young Child Elizabeth MooreHaas 59

The Gateway of Birth - the Sistine Madonna

Raphaels Sistine Madonna: 69Is It Appropriate in the Kindergarten? Ren Querido

The Sistine Madonna in the Waldorf Kindergarten 73Joan Almon

The Sistine Madonna - 77Symbol of the Eternal in Humanity Rudolf Steiner

The Gateway of Death - Working with Death in the Kindergarten

AfterDeath Care in the Home Beth Knox 81

Helping Children in a Time of Trouble Nancy Foster 83

Helping Our Children and Loved Ones 85at the Threshold of Death Nancy Jewel Poer

A Festival for a Threshold Crossing Patricia Owens 91

Birth Into The Spiritual World Nancy Blanning 95

A Story for Mia Louise de Forest 97

Grandmas Dream Sheila Rubin 99

For Anastasia and Her Dear Grandmother 101Cynthia Aldinger

The Inner Path

Self-Development as a Basis for the Relationship 105Between the Child and the Adult

Michaela Glckler, M.D.

Through the Eye of the Needle Felicitas Vogt 111

The Path of Inner Schooling Jorgen Smit 121

The Spiritual Foundations of Waldorf Education 125Michaela Glckler, M.D.

The Gateway of Death - Working with Death in the Kindergarten

AfterDeath Care in the Home Beth Knox 81

Helping Children in a Time of Trouble Nancy Foster 83

Helping Our Children and Loved Ones 85at the Threshold of Death Nancy Jewel Poer

A Festival for a Threshold Crossing Patricia Owens 91

Birth Into The Spiritual World Nancy Blanning 95

A Story for Mia Louise de Forest 97

Grandmas Dream Sheila Rubin 99

For Anastasia and Her Dear Grandmother 101Cynthia Aldinger

The Inner Path

Self-Development as a Basis for the Relationship 105Between the Child and the Adult

Michaela Glckler, M.D.

Through the Eye of the Needle Felicitas Vogt 111

The Path of Inner Schooling Jorgen Smit 121

The Spiritual Foundations of Waldorf Education 125Michaela Glckler, M.D.

vIn 1993, the Waldorf KindergartenAssociation of North America published twovolumes of articles collected from its Newsletterover a ten-year period from its beginnings in1983. An Overview of the Waldorf Kindergarten(Volume One) and A Deeper Understanding ofthe Waldorf Kindergarten (Volume Two) came to be known affectionately as the pink andblue books, providing a valuable resource for a generation of practicing and aspiring Waldorfearly childhood educators. These two volumesoffered study material on the foundations ofWaldorf early childhood work and many richexamples shared from the practical life of thekindergartens in North America.

Now a second ten years have passed, and our publishing work is reaching its twenty-firstyear. Much has developed in our Waldorf earlychildhood movement. In 1997, the WaldorfKindergarten Association outgrew its name and became the Waldorf Early ChildhoodAssociation of North America (WECAN), in recognition of the ever-widening scope of our activity. This work now extends farbeyond the nursery-kindergarten to includebirth-to-three programs for parents andchildren, parent/infant awareness classes, home-based and center-based childcare, pre-natal education, extended care, and work with children in underserved

communities and high-risk situations involvinghomelessness and abuse.

The Kindergarten Newsletter has become Gateways. Its offerings haveincluded articles on the developing child, working with children, working incommunity, and the inner development of the early childhood educator. As wereview the harvest of these last ten years of Gateways contributions, it seems time to gather and share them once again. Andthus we are pleased to publish the GatewaysSeries. The series will include articles from past issues, as well as additionalcontributions that have arisen throughconferences and research publicationsduring these past ten years.

We have clustered the contents around themes.

Volume One, The Young Child in the WorldToday, includes articles on the condition of theyoung child in contemporary society which,despite its apparent advances in the realm of technology, is far less advanced in itsunderstanding of the needs of the develop-ing child. Attention-related disorders, healthproblems such as asthma and allergies, andincreased violence and aggression are evidenceof todays threats to healthy child development.

Preface

v

In 1993, the Waldorf KindergartenAssociation of North America published twovolumes of articles collected from its Newsletterover a ten-year period from its beginnings in1983. An Overview of the Waldorf Kindergarten(Volume One) and A Deeper Understanding ofthe Waldorf Kindergarten (Volume Two) came to be known affectionately as the pink andblue books, providing a valuable resource for a generation of practicing and aspiring Waldorfearly childhood educators. These two volumesoffered study material on the foundations ofWaldorf early childhood work and many richexamples shared from the practical life of thekindergartens in North America.

Now a second ten years have passed, and our publishing work is reaching its twenty-firstyear. Much has developed in our Waldorf earlychildhood movement. In 1997, the WaldorfKindergarten Association outgrew its name and became the Waldorf Early ChildhoodAssociation of North America (WECAN), in recognition of the ever-widening scope of our activity. This work now extends farbeyond the nursery-kindergarten to includebirth-to-three programs for parents andchildren, parent/infant awareness classes, home-based and center-based childcare, pre-natal education, extended care, and work with children in underserved

communities and high-risk situations involvinghomelessness and abuse.

The Kindergarten Newsletter has become Gateways. Its offerings haveincluded articles on the developing child, working with children, working incommunity, and the inner development of the early childhood educator. As wereview the harvest of these last ten years of Gateways contributions, it seems time to gather and share them once again. Andthus we are pleased to publish the GatewaysSeries. The series will include articles from past issues, as well as additionalcontributions that have arisen throughconferences and research publicationsduring these past ten years.

We have clustered the contents around themes.

Volume One, The Young Child in the WorldToday, includes articles on the condition of theyoung child in contemporary society which,despite its apparent advances in the realm of technology, is far less advanced in itsunderstanding of the needs of the develop-ing child. Attention-related disorders, healthproblems such as asthma and allergies, andincreased violence and aggression are evidenceof todays threats to healthy child development.

Preface

vi

Volume One offers perspectives on thesechallenges from a view of the developing child as a being of body, soul, and spirit.

This is Volume Two - Working with theAngels: The Young Child and the SpiritualWorld. The articles collected here are writtenby Waldorf educators, doctors, parents andgrandparents, and by Rudolf Steiner, thefounder of Waldorf education. They explorethe thresholds of birth and death, and therelationship of children, parents and caregiversto those who dwell on the other side of thethresholdnot-yet-born children, the so-calleddead, and the world of the hierarchies,including the guardian angel of the child. Wehope that you will find them a source of

inspiration in your care for young children,who have so recently arrived from across thatthreshold, and for supporting familiesexperiencing the death of a loved one.

Volume Three in the Gateways Series, TheDeveloping Child: The First Seven Years ofLife, will be published shortly.

We would like to thank our many colleaguesand friends in North America and abroad whohave shared their work, first in the Newsletterand now in the Gateways Series.

It is our hope that the Gateways Series will provide inspiration and support to thosewho carry the profound and wondrousresponsibility of caring for the youngestamong us, wherever that work takes place in our human community.

Susan Howard, Editor

vi

Volume One offers perspectives on thesechallenges from a view of the developing child as a being of body, soul, and spirit.

This is Volume Two - Working with theAngels: The Young Child and the SpiritualWorld. The articles collected here are writtenby Waldorf educators, doctors, parents andgrandparents, and by Rudolf Steiner, thefounder of Waldorf education. They explorethe thresholds of birth and death, and therelationship of children, parents and caregiversto those who dwell on the other side of thethresholdnot-yet-born children, the so-calleddead, and the world of the hierarchies,including the guardian angel of the child. Wehope that you will find them a source of

inspiration in your care for young children,who have so recently arrived from across thatthreshold, and for supporting familiesexperiencing the death of a loved one.

Volume Three in the Gateways Series, TheDeveloping Child: The First Seven Years ofLife, will be published shortly.

We would like to thank our many colleaguesand friends in North America and abroad whohave shared their work, first in the Newsletterand now in the Gateways Series.

It is our hope that the Gateways Series will provide inspiration and support to thosewho carry the profound and wondrousresponsibility of caring for the youngestamong us, wherever that work takes place in our human community.

Susan Howard, Editor

Working with the Angels

Working with the Angels

3In the first three years of life, before the child is so engrossed in material life, it has a close relationship with the angels. At night, while asleep, the children meet their angels. They dream of them or haveother experiences of them. As we grow up, the qualities of our childhood mature anddevelop in us and can evolve as imagination,inspiration and intuition. We too can relate to the angels. It generally happens in oursleep, for it is such a remarkable experiencethat we might be filled with fear if thesecontacts were to happen in our waking life.Hence, in the Bible, when Gabriel visits Mary, he begins by saying, Fear not.

In our waking state, we can work in such a way that our relationships to the spiritualworld is strengthened, both to the angels and to the human souls who have died andare living in the world of the spirit. Thisrelationship can manifest in our daily life in various ways. For example, in the Germanlanguage, when one receives a sudden ideaone says it has eingefallenfallen in. Butwhat has fallen in and from where has itfallen? This can be the work of the angels,pouring their thoughts into mankind, or it can be the help of those human souls who are now in the spiritual world but wish to help us and work with us.

The spiritual world is always there aroundus, and we can work more consciously if wenote the transition as we move from theearthly world to the spiritual world and viceversa. Thus at night we can say as we entersleep, Now I am entering the spiritual world,and in the morning as we awaken, we can say,Now I am entering the earthly world.

We can also connect with the angelicworld during the moment before we walk into our classroom. There can be a moment of absolute silence before entering into ourwork. Our hearts can quicken, and we can say a prayer. For a moment one can think of the angels, or of a friend who is now in the spiritual world. Then one goes with arenewed strength into ones work.

In working with the spiritual world, it isimportant to work in a rhythm, and particularlythe rhythms of seven are a great help. One canwork with the rhythm of seven days or sevenyears or even seven minutes. Seven months,however, would not be a true rhythm. We are not yet so far along that we can observeourselves over a period of seven lifetimes andwork with that rhythm. In rhythms of seven a new strength appears. We can work withmeditations in seven-day rhythms, such as with the Foundation Stone meditation. RudolfSteiner gave the Foundation Stone meditation

Working with the Angels, the Archangels and the ArchaiHelmut von Kgelgen

3

In the first three years of life, before the child is so engrossed in material life, it has a close relationship with the angels. At night, while asleep, the children meet their angels. They dream of them or haveother experiences of them. As we grow up, the qualities of our childhood mature anddevelop in us and can evolve as imagination,inspiration and intuition. We too can relate to the angels. It generally happens in oursleep, for it is such a remarkable experiencethat we might be filled with fear if thesecontacts were to happen in our waking life.Hence, in the Bible, when Gabriel visits Mary, he begins by saying, Fear not.

In our waking state, we can work in such a way that our relationships to the spiritualworld is strengthened, both to the angels and to the human souls who have died andare living in the world of the spirit. Thisrelationship can manifest in our daily life in various ways. For example, in the Germanlanguage, when one receives a sudden ideaone says it has eingefallenfallen in. Butwhat has fallen in and from where has itfallen? This can be the work of the angels,pouring their thoughts into mankind, or it can be the help of those human souls who are now in the spiritual world but wish to help us and work with us.

The spiritual world is always there aroundus, and we can work more consciously if wenote the transition as we move from theearthly world to the spiritual world and viceversa. Thus at night we can say as we entersleep, Now I am entering the spiritual world,and in the morning as we awaken, we can say,Now I am entering the earthly world.

We can also connect with the angelicworld during the moment before we walk into our classroom. There can be a moment of absolute silence before entering into ourwork. Our hearts can quicken, and we can say a prayer. For a moment one can think of the angels, or of a friend who is now in the spiritual world. Then one goes with arenewed strength into ones work.

In working with the spiritual world, it isimportant to work in a rhythm, and particularlythe rhythms of seven are a great help. One canwork with the rhythm of seven days or sevenyears or even seven minutes. Seven months,however, would not be a true rhythm. We are not yet so far along that we can observeourselves over a period of seven lifetimes andwork with that rhythm. In rhythms of seven a new strength appears. We can work withmeditations in seven-day rhythms, such as with the Foundation Stone meditation. RudolfSteiner gave the Foundation Stone meditation

Working with the Angels, the Archangels and the ArchaiHelmut von Kgelgen

4as a whole, but then showed how one can workwith it in seven day rhythms. In this way oneconnects with it more fully. If one is trying towork with a number of verses or meditations,such as the Foundation Stone, the Calendar of the Soul, and the Verse for the Dead, one can put them into rhythms of seven. Thus, the Verse for the Dead could be said eachSaturday, rather than each day.

When we work with these rhythms of seven, the angels take notice of us. If, forexample, we have a sudden impulse to act, we can take time and wait seven minutes beforeacting. We may then feel that seven minutes is a very long time indeed. But in this quietpause something happens. Waiting these sevenminutes gives the angels a chance to notice us,to let something fall into us. In this way wemake time for the angels to enter into our lives,and they wait for us to do this. It is not thatmagnificent revelations from the angels appearto us in this time, but that the angels see us.They can only perceive us when we are pre-pared for this to happen and give it time.

In 1919, Rudolf Steiner said that ourcentury is particularly important during the age of the consciousness soul. It is a timewhen our consciousness can open up to therealms of nature and to the higher hierarchies.All of this can happen in quite a new way, nowthat the angels no longer take an interest inthe form of man as they did in the past. Wemust consciously work on ourselves so thatthe angels can take an interest in us again. We need to realize that every child, everycolleague, every parent is more than just aphysical being. Every one contains a spiritualbeing as well, which brings something with itfrom previous earth lives. Recognizing thespiritual nature of other human beings is aprerequisite for finding our connection to the spiritual hierarchies.

Rudolf Steiner went on to say we shouldnot overload ourselves with the rational

thoughts of the intellectual soul era, which is now past. We need to open up to the thoughts of the consciousness soul,recognizing the living spirit in each of us and recognizing our connection with thehierarchies of the spiritual world. When these thoughts are taken up by us with innerstrength, they can help us in our work withthe parents and help us lead the childrenrightly into their new lives on earth. In thiscontext we must realize that it is not our taskto educate according to state regulations, norare we a program, or simply a method. Inthe highest sense we work in accordance with the angels, the archangels and the archai.It is these beings of the third hierarchy whoemploy us, who give us our work. They workwith us as individuals, and they work with usas a faculty. Their presence is acknowledged in the Teachers Imagination, which is used bythe College of Teachers in a Waldorf school.

As Waldorf educators we work with thesebeings of the third hierarchy: the angels, thearchangels and the archai, but all humanityhas a new opportunity to work with them.Since the fifteenth century, we have been in the age of the consciousness soul. This agewill last over two thousand years, but RudolfSteiner indicated that the twentieth centurywas an especially important time for humanityto lift up its awareness to the spiritual andbegin again to work consciously with thebeings of the heavenly world. One way to dothis is to include the angels in our planningfor the next day. In the evening we can notonly review what has happened during thatday, we can preview what is to come next. We can also have a conversation with our angel.Rudolf Steiner said the angel would then grow interested in what is coming. It does not matter if in the morning we forget whatwas said during the night, for the angel willnot have forgotten it. When we need theinsight given, it returns to us at the rightmoment. The angel leaves us free, but works

4

as a whole, but then showed how one can workwith it in seven day rhythms. In this way oneconnects with it more fully. If one is trying towork with a number of verses or meditations,such as the Foundation Stone, the Calendar of the Soul, and the Verse for the Dead, one can put them into rhythms of seven. Thus, the Verse for the Dead could be said eachSaturday, rather than each day.

When we work with these rhythms of seven, the angels take notice of us. If, forexample, we have a sudden impulse to act, we can take time and wait seven minutes beforeacting. We may then feel that seven minutes is a very long time indeed. But in this quietpause something happens. Waiting these sevenminutes gives the angels a chance to notice us,to let something fall into us. In this way wemake time for the angels to enter into our lives,and they wait for us to do this. It is not thatmagnificent revelations from the angels appearto us in this time, but that the angels see us.They can only perceive us when we are pre-pared for this to happen and give it time.

In 1919, Rudolf Steiner said that ourcentury is particularly important during the age of the consciousness soul. It is a timewhen our consciousness can open up to therealms of nature and to the higher hierarchies.All of this can happen in quite a new way, nowthat the angels no longer take an interest inthe form of man as they did in the past. Wemust consciously work on ourselves so thatthe angels can take an interest in us again. We need to realize that every child, everycolleague, every parent is more than just aphysical being. Every one contains a spiritualbeing as well, which brings something with itfrom previous earth lives. Recognizing thespiritual nature of other human beings is aprerequisite for finding our connection to the spiritual hierarchies.

Rudolf Steiner went on to say we shouldnot overload ourselves with the rational

thoughts of the intellectual soul era, which is now past. We need to open up to the thoughts of the consciousness soul,recognizing the living spirit in each of us and recognizing our connection with thehierarchies of the spiritual world. When these thoughts are taken up by us with innerstrength, they can help us in our work withthe parents and help us lead the childrenrightly into their new lives on earth. In thiscontext we must realize that it is not our taskto educate according to state regulations, norare we a program, or simply a method. Inthe highest sense we work in accordance with the angels, the archangels and the archai.It is these beings of the third hierarchy whoemploy us, who give us our work. They workwith us as individuals, and they work with usas a faculty. Their presence is acknowledged in the Teachers Imagination, which is used bythe College of Teachers in a Waldorf school.

As Waldorf educators we work with thesebeings of the third hierarchy: the angels, thearchangels and the archai, but all humanityhas a new opportunity to work with them.Since the fifteenth century, we have been in the age of the consciousness soul. This agewill last over two thousand years, but RudolfSteiner indicated that the twentieth centurywas an especially important time for humanityto lift up its awareness to the spiritual andbegin again to work consciously with thebeings of the heavenly world. One way to dothis is to include the angels in our planningfor the next day. In the evening we can notonly review what has happened during thatday, we can preview what is to come next. We can also have a conversation with our angel.Rudolf Steiner said the angel would then grow interested in what is coming. It does not matter if in the morning we forget whatwas said during the night, for the angel willnot have forgotten it. When we need theinsight given, it returns to us at the rightmoment. The angel leaves us free, but works

5to help us, for example, to really understandone another when we are in conversation.Later, our thoughts may be filled with lovingforces that awoke in this conversation. Thistoo is the work of the angel.

A good preparation for this inner work is to practice control of thinking. Rudolf Steinerdescribes this exercise in several of his books.Self control in the realm of thinking helps usto receive insights trom the angels. We maythen suddenly experience that the angelicbeings give us the courage to do somethingwhich we would not otherwise have had thestrength to do. As teachers it is a help if westudy the biographies of individuals. In know-ing the life of another, one begins to see howthe angels worked into a human beingsdestiny, often in remarkable ways.

When we study the destinies of a nation or a people we can see the working of thearchangels, for they guide the work of wholegroups. They guide the development oflanguage, where the spirit of a people isreflected. They also guide the development of language in each individual. Thus it is

important to pay attention to speech, so that it is true and beautiful. Our speech canbe a fine work of art. Archetypal creativity lies in the word. Rudolf Steiner was alwaysvery careful about how he spoke, even in hiseveryday exchanges. It is especially importanthow we speak with young children, for theyare finding their way into language. We speakto them in whole sentences, and in the good,fine way of fairy tale language. Speech itselfcan give courage, for it connects us with thearchangels, the spirits of time.

We can work with the beings of the thirdhierarchy in many ways. As Waldorf teacherswe work with the Teachers Imagination, whichrefers to the angels, the archangels, and thearchai. As individuals we can make space for arelationship with the third hierarchy. At night,for a few seconds before sleep, we can think:The angels, archangels and archai want tohelp me in my daily work. In the morning we can think of these beings again and remindourselves that they want to help us if only weare open to receiving their help. In this waywe find the courage for our work.

Dr. Helmut von Kgelgen spoke on the human beings relationship to the hierarchies at aconference in Dornach at Easter, 1991. The lecture referred to in this article is entitled The Wakingof the Human Soul and the Forming of Destiny, and was given by Rudolf Steiner in Prague onApril 28, 1923. Dr. von Kgelgen spent thirty years as a teacher at the original Waldorf school inStuttgart, and was the founder of the International Association of Waldorf Kindergartens. He alsoserved as Director of the Waldorf Kindergarten Seminar in Stuttgart and edited a collection ofbooklets on the festivals and the inner life of Waldorf teachers, now available in English as theLittle Series. This translated article was reprinted with permission from the International WaldorfKindergarten Association.

5

to help us, for example, to really understandone another when we are in conversation.Later, our thoughts may be filled with lovingforces that awoke in this conversation. Thistoo is the work of the angel.

A good preparation for this inner work is to practice control of thinking. Rudolf Steinerdescribes this exercise in several of his books.Self control in the realm of thinking helps usto receive insights trom the angels. We maythen suddenly experience that the angelicbeings give us the courage to do somethingwhich we would not otherwise have had thestrength to do. As teachers it is a help if westudy the biographies of individuals. In know-ing the life of another, one begins to see howthe angels worked into a human beingsdestiny, often in remarkable ways.

When we study the destinies of a nation or a people we can see the working of thearchangels, for they guide the work of wholegroups. They guide the development oflanguage, where the spirit of a people isreflected. They also guide the development of language in each individual. Thus it is

important to pay attention to speech, so that it is true and beautiful. Our speech canbe a fine work of art. Archetypal creativity lies in the word. Rudolf Steiner was alwaysvery careful about how he spoke, even in hiseveryday exchanges. It is especially importanthow we speak with young children, for theyare finding their way into language. We speakto them in whole sentences, and in the good,fine way of fairy tale language. Speech itselfcan give courage, for it connects us with thearchangels, the spirits of time.

We can work with the beings of the thirdhierarchy in many ways. As Waldorf teacherswe work with the Teachers Imagination, whichrefers to the angels, the archangels, and thearchai. As individuals we can make space for arelationship with the third hierarchy. At night,for a few seconds before sleep, we can think:The angels, archangels and archai want tohelp me in my daily work. In the morning we can think of these beings again and remindourselves that they want to help us if only weare open to receiving their help. In this waywe find the courage for our work.

Dr. Helmut von Kgelgen spoke on the human beings relationship to the hierarchies at aconference in Dornach at Easter, 1991. The lecture referred to in this article is entitled The Wakingof the Human Soul and the Forming of Destiny, and was given by Rudolf Steiner in Prague onApril 28, 1923. Dr. von Kgelgen spent thirty years as a teacher at the original Waldorf school inStuttgart, and was the founder of the International Association of Waldorf Kindergartens. He alsoserved as Director of the Waldorf Kindergarten Seminar in Stuttgart and edited a collection ofbooklets on the festivals and the inner life of Waldorf teachers, now available in English as theLittle Series. This translated article was reprinted with permission from the International WaldorfKindergarten Association.

7A Conversation about Angels and Human BeingsHelmut von Kgelgen

Cornelia Handler: In our time we are sooriented intellectually and materialistically, yetangels seem to be making their comeback again.To speak about angels today is no longer taboo.Although there is a danger of showing them in akitschy, mawkish or even demonically distortedway, their true appearance touches us verydeeply, especially in art. Has there not alwaysbeen something mysterious about angels?

Helmut von Kgelgen: I think that thegreatness and power of spiritual experiencestouches the limits of human beings. What is experienced as suffering and destiny is one reality. The other reality is that time in human history has progressed. It is a factthat we originate from the spiritual world,from the heavenly world, from the world of spiritual beingswhichever way we might wish to describe it. Yet we seek ourincarnation and our destiny here on earth. I think this becomes particularly apparent at the two gates: the gate of birth and the gate of death.

At the gate of death there is somethinggazing in from the spiritual world that can becalled angels, or the world of beings, or ofspirit. There are also beings at the other gate,the gate of birth. During my childhood itwould have been impossible to talk so openlyabout birth and abortion, about being born or

not being born, as is now done in the news-papers. On the one side come voices that say,My womb belongs to me! On the other side,the language from Rome and the Pope doesnot fit into our time anymore.

In modern destinies, where these kinds of questions thrust themselves into life, theexperience of the spiritual world becomes sostrong that it craves for a tangible form. Away emerges. There is a remembrance of the heavenly world as something orderly and containing the fullness of spiritual and of divine powers. It is a fact that theborder of consciousness with the spiritualworld is somewhat sore or chafed.Embrac-ing the spiritual world is a part of humanexistencetrying to live with the aware-ness that there is something in the spiritualthat belongs to the human being.

As human beings we are also open towardsthe earth. Through evolution, we carry stones,plants, and animals in us. Our physical natureincludes the material nature, the stillness ofthe mineral realm, which we can see andtouch. Furthermore, we have in us all thesecrets of growth, development, death, and continuous change, in which we cansummarize the secret of the plant world. Also, we have a kind of life in us that we share with the animal kingdom, sensitive

7

A Conversation about Angels and Human BeingsHelmut von Kgelgen

Cornelia Handler: In our time we are sooriented intellectually and materialistically, yetangels seem to be making their comeback again.To speak about angels today is no longer taboo.Although there is a danger of showing them in akitschy, mawkish or even demonically distortedway, their true appearance touches us verydeeply, especially in art. Has there not alwaysbeen something mysterious about angels?

Helmut von Kgelgen: I think that thegreatness and power of spiritual experiencestouches the limits of human beings. What is experienced as suffering and destiny is one reality. The other reality is that time in human history has progressed. It is a factthat we originate from the spiritual world,from the heavenly world, from the world of spiritual beingswhichever way we might wish to describe it. Yet we seek ourincarnation and our destiny here on earth. I think this becomes particularly apparent at the two gates: the gate of birth and the gate of death.

At the gate of death there is somethinggazing in from the spiritual world that can becalled angels, or the world of beings, or ofspirit. There are also beings at the other gate,the gate of birth. During my childhood itwould have been impossible to talk so openlyabout birth and abortion, about being born or

not being born, as is now done in the news-papers. On the one side come voices that say,My womb belongs to me! On the other side,the language from Rome and the Pope doesnot fit into our time anymore.

In modern destinies, where these kinds of questions thrust themselves into life, theexperience of the spiritual world becomes sostrong that it craves for a tangible form. Away emerges. There is a remembrance of the heavenly world as something orderly and containing the fullness of spiritual and of divine powers. It is a fact that theborder of consciousness with the spiritualworld is somewhat sore or chafed.Embrac-ing the spiritual world is a part of humanexistencetrying to live with the aware-ness that there is something in the spiritualthat belongs to the human being.

As human beings we are also open towardsthe earth. Through evolution, we carry stones,plants, and animals in us. Our physical natureincludes the material nature, the stillness ofthe mineral realm, which we can see andtouch. Furthermore, we have in us all thesecrets of growth, development, death, and continuous change, in which we cansummarize the secret of the plant world. Also, we have a kind of life in us that we share with the animal kingdom, sensitive

8to feelings and passions. For humanity to realizethat all physical life on earth developed duringthe course of evolution has been a tremendousdiscovery. Now it is important to see how thespiritual individuality is incarnating into thislife. It is this individuality that we call the I. If you observe this accurately, you will get atrace of the angels. I do not mean exactly whatappears in art and literature. What appears inart and in poemsof Rilke, for examplecangive us overwhelming impressions.

Handler: In our conversation, I would like toseek the entrance to the world of angels mainlyin the immediate, human, living experience. Doyou know of angel experiences that refer to thetime of expecting the arrival of a child?

Von Kgelgen: Here you can clearly notice the difference between humans who live withthe reality of a spiritual world, and those whoalways close their mind to it. Of those who aresimply open, you always hear that they knowcertain things. They may say, for example, Iconceived on this particular night. Womenare generally more open to spirituality thanmen, and especially in this area, because theyare the ones who conceive. They often knowexactly when the human being is beginning itsjourney. Sometimes they hear the name of thechild. It is amazing how this happens. Oftenyou have to keep on seeking for the name and finally it is given through a godfather.Another time you are absolutely sure. Muchdepends on whether human beings open up toexperience something. It is hard for spiritualbeingsif I may say it this wayto penetrateclosed doors. What little children sometimestell or what you experience yourself, does notenter into consciousness. There are far morespiritual experiences than you may suspect.

Handler: What relationship does this littlechild have to the world of angels before self-awareness awakens?

Von Kgelgen: If you look at the little child,

there is still a very simple way to see whathappens. The child arrives in a little body thatheredity provides. This body is then furtherformed by the individuality from the spiritualworld, even into the fingerprints that serve todistinguish individuals. Then the little childexperiences three large steps in becoming ahuman being, which continue to repeat in lifein certain ways; it learns to walk, to talk, andto think. The first requires a tremendous willpower for life and activity. Nobody taught the child all the secrets that establish aconnection with the will. The question is whether you can explain everything as a reflection of the physical, or if you canexperience it from the spiritual realm. If youwatch closely, you can see that movementalways emerges from the spirit and not fromthe material. Then you realize that somethinghas been brought along from the time beforebirth. If you think of the living divine, you can say that the incentive for the will wasgiven before the conception of this spiritualindividuality. The power of the self is the will:the will that unites, the will to love, and thewill to live. And then it is strange to observethat children who have been born around acertain time form a generation all over theworld. Sometimes you see this very clearly, as in the youth movements around the worldin 1968, movements that changed the world.This will of the individual has something todo with the spirit of time.

Every human being, whether a materialist, aBolshevik, a nationalist, or an idealist, can talkabout the spirit of time. But it is of utmostimportance to understand very clearly that thespirit always emerges from an individual. Spiritis individual. The divine spirit or the heavenlyhosts, as they are called in the Christmas story,are present at the growing of a seed as well asat the birth of a human being. The powerfulcreator of beginnings (in Greek: Archai), thegreat spirit of time, is the initiating spirit. It isthis being that bestows the will. Because of it

8

to feelings and passions. For humanity to realizethat all physical life on earth developed duringthe course of evolution has been a tremendousdiscovery. Now it is important to see how thespiritual individuality is incarnating into thislife. It is this individuality that we call the I. If you observe this accurately, you will get atrace of the angels. I do not mean exactly whatappears in art and literature. What appears inart and in poemsof Rilke, for examplecangive us overwhelming impressions.

Handler: In our conversation, I would like toseek the entrance to the world of angels mainlyin the immediate, human, living experience. Doyou know of angel experiences that refer to thetime of expecting the arrival of a child?

Von Kgelgen: Here you can clearly notice the difference between humans who live withthe reality of a spiritual world, and those whoalways close their mind to it. Of those who aresimply open, you always hear that they knowcertain things. They may say, for example, Iconceived on this particular night. Womenare generally more open to spirituality thanmen, and especially in this area, because theyare the ones who conceive. They often knowexactly when the human being is beginning itsjourney. Sometimes they hear the name of thechild. It is amazing how this happens. Oftenyou have to keep on seeking for the name and finally it is given through a godfather.Another time you are absolutely sure. Muchdepends on whether human beings open up toexperience something. It is hard for spiritualbeingsif I may say it this wayto penetrateclosed doors. What little children sometimestell or what you experience yourself, does notenter into consciousness. There are far morespiritual experiences than you may suspect.

Handler: What relationship does this littlechild have to the world of angels before self-awareness awakens?

Von Kgelgen: If you look at the little child,

there is still a very simple way to see whathappens. The child arrives in a little body thatheredity provides. This body is then furtherformed by the individuality from the spiritualworld, even into the fingerprints that serve todistinguish individuals. Then the little childexperiences three large steps in becoming ahuman being, which continue to repeat in lifein certain ways; it learns to walk, to talk, andto think. The first requires a tremendous willpower for life and activity. Nobody taught the child all the secrets that establish aconnection with the will. The question is whether you can explain everything as a reflection of the physical, or if you canexperience it from the spiritual realm. If youwatch closely, you can see that movementalways emerges from the spirit and not fromthe material. Then you realize that somethinghas been brought along from the time beforebirth. If you think of the living divine, you can say that the incentive for the will wasgiven before the conception of this spiritualindividuality. The power of the self is the will:the will that unites, the will to love, and thewill to live. And then it is strange to observethat children who have been born around acertain time form a generation all over theworld. Sometimes you see this very clearly, as in the youth movements around the worldin 1968, movements that changed the world.This will of the individual has something todo with the spirit of time.

Every human being, whether a materialist, aBolshevik, a nationalist, or an idealist, can talkabout the spirit of time. But it is of utmostimportance to understand very clearly that thespirit always emerges from an individual. Spiritis individual. The divine spirit or the heavenlyhosts, as they are called in the Christmas story,are present at the growing of a seed as well asat the birth of a human being. The powerfulcreator of beginnings (in Greek: Archai), thegreat spirit of time, is the initiating spirit. It isthis being that bestows the will. Because of it

9the organs move, the first breath is taken.Activity begins, a will activity that nobodytaught to the child, and that the child broughtalong somehow. This will has to be taken upthrough the working of the environment byeducators and parents until the child is aroundtwoyearsoldthe defiant age. The will mustbe handled in such a way that it can then beimplanted in the self.

Provided they have not been damaged, we can perceive the second deed as languageemerges from children with an elementalforce. The movement of the body leads to the movement of speech, which develops in the interplay between the child and itsenvironment. Even there, we are used tospeaking of the folk spirit, of the speech spirit. Usually you say that communities have a spirit (e.g., a class spirit, a school spirit) that animates and inspires the group.This superpersonal being has been called an archangel. And then it is astounding, overand over again, how fast children pass over to thinking. This is the third deed, which isactually very personal: the relation of ourthinking to our individuality, our uniquegenius. Here is the sphere where all the otherthings are taken into consciousness, where weform our world view, where we are led moreand more to freedom by our guardian angel.

Thus the spirit of time watches over ourdecisions and activities, the spirit of communityover our feelings and speech, and the spirit ofpersonality over our thinking. Let me just usethe names of the old tradition: the custodiansof the three fountains of our daily lifewill,speech, thinkingare the archai, archangels,and angels, respectively. These are beings of thethird hierarchy, the part of the spiritual worldclosest to human beings.

Handler: How do we stay in contact with our angels?

Von Kgelgen: Well, you stay in contact withthem by being found by them while sleeping.

The world of angels leaves the human beingmore and more free as he or she grows up,because the human being is called to freedom.Freedom is most difficult, and the angels do notalways intervene. Therefore it is easier to speakof guardian angels in relation to children. Theycontinue to accompany you. The older you get,however, the more you are left to take your ownwill, your feeling, speaking and your thinkingunder your own responsibility, into your ownhands. For this purpose you need the help ofthese spiritual beings whom you usually do notencounter while you are awake, but while youare asleep. And you only find them if you havegone to sleep worthily, if you have experiencedsome idealism in your thinkingsomethingspiritualand if your feelings and your speechhave been touched by the center of your heart.If you have performed such good activities youencounter these angel realms in sleep.

Handler: One can gain rich experience withchildren at kindergarten age. Could you tell us something from your personal experience?

Von Kgelgen: I want to tell what a motherwrote to me some time ago about her four-year-old child and his brother of six months.The older one came creeping into themother's bed one morning and said, Lastnight I dreamed of an angel that was sobeautiful. Oh, said his mother, Youdreamt about your angel? No, replied thechild, I cannot see him, since he holds me inhis arms. No, about your angel. That left themother speechless, and she did not know whatto answer. She paused for a moment. Thenthe child said: You know, mother, we are all the same size over there, you and I andFrieder. The mother was simply shocked. She is a mother who doesn't speak muchabout angels. But she lives with the reality ofthe spiritual world, and that enables her childto talk about such dreams. I have experiencedsomething similar, even in the first and secondgrades and in religion lessons. If you really

9

the organs move, the first breath is taken.Activity begins, a will activity that nobodytaught to the child, and that the child broughtalong somehow. This will has to be taken upthrough the working of the environment byeducators and parents until the child is aroundtwoyearsoldthe defiant age. The will mustbe handled in such a way that it can then beimplanted in the self.

Provided they have not been damaged, we can perceive the second deed as languageemerges from children with an elementalforce. The movement of the body leads to the movement of speech, which develops in the interplay between the child and itsenvironment. Even there, we are used tospeaking of the folk spirit, of the speech spirit. Usually you say that communities have a spirit (e.g., a class spirit, a school spirit) that animates and inspires the group.This superpersonal being has been called an archangel. And then it is astounding, overand over again, how fast children pass over to thinking. This is the third deed, which isactually very personal: the relation of ourthinking to our individuality, our uniquegenius. Here is the sphere where all the otherthings are taken into consciousness, where weform our world view, where we are led moreand more to freedom by our guardian angel.

Thus the spirit of time watches over ourdecisions and activities, the spirit of communityover our feelings and speech, and the spirit ofpersonality over our thinking. Let me just usethe names of the old tradition: the custodiansof the three fountains of our daily lifewill,speech, thinkingare the archai, archangels,and angels, respectively. These are beings of thethird hierarchy, the part of the spiritual worldclosest to human beings.

Handler: How do we stay in contact with our angels?

Von Kgelgen: Well, you stay in contact withthem by being found by them while sleeping.

The world of angels leaves the human beingmore and more free as he or she grows up,because the human being is called to freedom.Freedom is most difficult, and the angels do notalways intervene. Therefore it is easier to speakof guardian angels in relation to children. Theycontinue to accompany you. The older you get,however, the more you are left to take your ownwill, your feeling, speaking and your thinkingunder your own responsibility, into your ownhands. For this purpose you need the help ofthese spiritual beings whom you usually do notencounter while you are awake, but while youare asleep. And you only find them if you havegone to sleep worthily, if you have experiencedsome idealism in your thinkingsomethingspiritualand if your feelings and your speechhave been touched by the center of your heart.If you have performed such good activities youencounter these angel realms in sleep.

Handler: One can gain rich experience withchildren at kindergarten age. Could you tell us something from your personal experience?

Von Kgelgen: I want to tell what a motherwrote to me some time ago about her four-year-old child and his brother of six months.The older one came creeping into themother's bed one morning and said, Lastnight I dreamed of an angel that was sobeautiful. Oh, said his mother, Youdreamt about your angel? No, replied thechild, I cannot see him, since he holds me inhis arms. No, about your angel. That left themother speechless, and she did not know whatto answer. She paused for a moment. Thenthe child said: You know, mother, we are all the same size over there, you and I andFrieder. The mother was simply shocked. She is a mother who doesn't speak muchabout angels. But she lives with the reality ofthe spiritual world, and that enables her childto talk about such dreams. I have experiencedsomething similar, even in the first and secondgrades and in religion lessons. If you really

10

listen inwardly to what the children say, thenthe most incredible experiences come to light.This requires you to be open and not silencechildren, as happens frequently when they tellsuch things. If they notice that the adult doesnot want to hear anything about it, theyremain silent.

Handler: Can we, as well-informed parents,prevent children from having such experiences?

Von Kgelgen: That's right. An attitude thatdenies the divine, spiritual world, or onlyaccepts as reality what you can feel throughthe physical senses, lets the openness for otherbeings die. Children are completely open, andin this state they perceive our thoughts aswell. We have to learn again to experience thereality of thoughts. In former times peopleused to pray for others or they cursed them.Everybody knew that when other people arethinking of me, they assist me, they supportme. Thoughts are elemental beings. They are,so to say, those natural beings, who also havehad names in the old tradition: sylphs, elves,and so on. And so thoughts are spiritualbeings who come and go. Every thought has areality. And when the reality of the spiritualworld surrounds the children, it has incrediblevalue for the inner world of the child. For thechild notices not only the outward activity,but also thoughts and feelings.

Handler: Before we talk about the duties thisentails for the adult, I would like to take a lookat the development of the child. How does therelation of the child to the spiritual world changeduring the child's development? Could you relatea little more from your personal experiences?

Von Kgelgen: Yes, the best way is to use thisor that example for it. I am thinking of a boy,an early bird, who was awakened too early.These are children in whom you canexperience certain things as examples. Thisboy was incredibly awake and wellinformed inhis childhood. His father was a physicist, and

you had the feeling that very early the childwas deeply familiar with technical things. Hepossessed a precocious, even perfected way ofspeaking. You could think, now, this is acompletely awake and well-informed child whoknows all the tricks of adults. Then he reachedthe third grade and made himself a doll inhandwork lessons. He developed a personalrelationship to the doll, as you only see in littlechildren. The doll had to go to sleep with him.He talked to it. There opened to him a worldof angels, the possibility to encounter dwarves,all kinds of questions concerning St. Nicholas,the infant Jesus, and so on; all these are livingand inwardly moving realities in the feelingand fantasy life of the child. You canexperience with this example that children donot have to lose the spiritual world. The childalways experiences the living being ineverything: in every plant, in every stone, inevery little stick. A spiritual world is spreadaround the child. Todayand here issomething for adults to addresswhen wespeak about St. Nicholas or the infant Jesus,we often do this for the purpose of fooling thechild. For surely, we may think, there is noworld of angels, but I am talking to the childabout it, as if it were true.

With children you can still celebrateChristmas, because then you can talk aboutthe infant Jesus and related things. Whenchildren become well-informed this passes.Nowadays it often happens this way. You can talk about it, however, in a way that youfeel the power and the love to complete thedollhouse or the play kitchen at midnightfrom the one who is love. The infant Jesus is not just something, but the magic of the forces of love that I actually draw from in this world. Then there is a transition forthe child, and the realization that father andmother made the things does not come as a shock, but as something very natural. Iexperienced this with my own children. My oldest daughter said later on, I knew

10

listen inwardly to what the children say, thenthe most incredible experiences come to light.This requires you to be open and not silencechildren, as happens frequently when they tellsuch things. If they notice that the adult doesnot want to hear anything about it, theyremain silent.

Handler: Can we, as well-informed parents,prevent children from having such experiences?

Von Kgelgen: That's right. An attitude thatdenies the divine, spiritual world, or onlyaccepts as reality what you can feel throughthe physical senses, lets the openness for otherbeings die. Children are completely open, andin this state they perceive our thoughts aswell. We have to learn again to experience thereality of thoughts. In former times peopleused to pray for others or they cursed them.Everybody knew that when other people arethinking of me, they assist me, they supportme. Thoughts are elemental beings. They are,so to say, those natural beings, who also havehad names in the old tradition: sylphs, elves,and so on. And so thoughts are spiritualbeings who come and go. Every thought has areality. And when the reality of the spiritualworld surrounds the children, it has incrediblevalue for the inner world of the child. For thechild notices not only the outward activity,but also thoughts and feelings.

Handler: Before we talk about the duties thisentails for the adult, I would like to take a lookat the development of the child. How does therelation of the child to the spiritual world changeduring the child's development? Could you relatea little more from your personal experiences?

Von Kgelgen: Yes, the best way is to use thisor that example for it. I am thinking of a boy,an early bird, who was awakened too early.These are children in whom you canexperience certain things as examples. Thisboy was incredibly awake and wellinformed inhis childhood. His father was a physicist, and

you had the feeling that very early the childwas deeply familiar with technical things. Hepossessed a precocious, even perfected way ofspeaking. You could think, now, this is acompletely awake and well-informed child whoknows all the tricks of adults. Then he reachedthe third grade and made himself a doll inhandwork lessons. He developed a personalrelationship to the doll, as you only see in littlechildren. The doll had to go to sleep with him.He talked to it. There opened to him a worldof angels, the possibility to encounter dwarves,all kinds of questions concerning St. Nicholas,the infant Jesus, and so on; all these are livingand inwardly moving realities in the feelingand fantasy life of the child. You canexperience with this example that children donot have to lose the spiritual world. The childalways experiences the living being ineverything: in every plant, in every stone, inevery little stick. A spiritual world is spreadaround the child. Todayand here issomething for adults to addresswhen wespeak about St. Nicholas or the infant Jesus,we often do this for the purpose of fooling thechild. For surely, we may think, there is noworld of angels, but I am talking to the childabout it, as if it were true.

With children you can still celebrateChristmas, because then you can talk aboutthe infant Jesus and related things. Whenchildren become well-informed this passes.Nowadays it often happens this way. You can talk about it, however, in a way that youfeel the power and the love to complete thedollhouse or the play kitchen at midnightfrom the one who is love. The infant Jesus is not just something, but the magic of the forces of love that I actually draw from in this world. Then there is a transition forthe child, and the realization that father andmother made the things does not come as a shock, but as something very natural. Iexperienced this with my own children. My oldest daughter said later on, I knew

11

everything already, you know, but I didn't wantto know it. My little brothers and sisters shouldhave it as beautifully as I had it! You have toknow that love is actually alive among us in the representative of humanity, the Christ. If I absorb this and then start talking about theinfant Jesus, then it is just something very real.This acceptance of the spiritual world as real is what I called openness before. Under thiscondition these beings of the spiritual worldcan really take part.

Handler: Yes, how you describe this is beautiful.You notice that the child does not suddenly havethe experience, What I learned from my parentsis not true. The child's point of view changes,and spiritual things still can exist when parentshave the right relation to them.

Von Kgelgen: I think this is the point. As anadult I have to acquire the truth of the divine,spiritual world, the truth of God's messengers,the world of angels. Today this is not grantedfreely any more. Tradition has become so dulland empty, ending up with Santa Clauses inevery department store. These are ghosts; this is terrible! We have to conquer the truth of the spiritual world. And there is the questionhow we are able to grasp the truth behind theimage. God the Father is not an old man with a beard who sits on a golden throne after all.We have to reconquer this. We have to getaway from the compulsion to materializeimages in order to reach real experiences again. When the great poets had experiences of angels, they felt tremors shaking the founda-tions of their being. If you are really allowed to look into the divine world of beings, youunderstand that the first thing these beings tell you in the Christmas story is always, Donot be afraid! For lo, I come from a land ofangels to proclaim something to you. Theseangels are not cute, they are not baroquecherubs. When they become visible they stir and shake us most deeply in the depths of being.

This world, where children come from, is stillvery close to them. I think I can experience howclose the world of angels is to children. Whenchildren imitate, they direct all their will powerto see how we behave. They live in this will, Ijust have to be and act like my surroundings,then everything is well. This habit is carriedover from the spiritual world, where the childrenfound themselves in the good hands of spiritualbeings. Now it echoes in their ability to imitate.When you observe this you are sad at not beingan angel yourself. You feel you should try to bean example for the child. But it is not easy toguide the life of children in the way the angelshave done. You have to be conscious thatresponsibility is transferred slowly from thehands of the angels. You guide the children to independence through education for someyears, and then release them into maturity.

How many things were given to yousomehow impulsively in the form of changesand conversions when you were young? Thisslowly ends in the twenties. Then you have towork on these gifts. You have the feeling theangels still watch you and intervene in your fatefrom time to time. You get a push. But actuallythe point is to form a conscious contact withthe spiritual authority that guides your destiny.It is not so important that we have experiencesof angels, but that the angels experience us.This is important. You can hardly endure theseangel experiences. But it is important to beopen, so they can help you.

Handler: Can you tell us about a concreteevent where the help of an angel appears?

Von Kgelgen: I will tell you an examplegiven by Rudolf Steiner. It was during thetime of the foundation of Waldorf education.Rudolf Steiner was in Berlin. There were manyquestions concerning the foundation of theWaldorf School. Then Steiner said, Therelationship we have to our own genius, to our own angel, is different from that of earliermillennia, of earlier cultures. Since the arrival

11

everything already, you know, but I didn't wantto know it. My little brothers and sisters shouldhave it as beautifully as I had it! You have toknow that love is actually alive among us in the representative of humanity, the Christ. If I absorb this and then start talking about theinfant Jesus, then it is just something very real.This acceptance of the spiritual world as real is what I called openness before. Under thiscondition these beings of the spiritual worldcan really take part.

Handler: Yes, how you describe this is beautiful.You notice that the child does not suddenly havethe experience, What I learned from my parentsis not true. The child's point of view changes,and spiritual things still can exist when parentshave the right relation to them.

Von Kgelgen: I think this is the point. As anadult I have to acquire the truth of the divine,spiritual world, the truth of God's messengers,the world of angels. Today this is not grantedfreely any more. Tradition has become so dulland empty, ending up with Santa Clauses inevery department store. These are ghosts; this is terrible! We have to conquer the truth of the spiritual world. And there is the questionhow we are able to grasp the truth behind theimage. God the Father is not an old man with a beard who sits on a golden throne after all.We have to reconquer this. We have to getaway from the compulsion to materializeimages in order to reach real experiences again. When the great poets had experiences of angels, they felt tremors shaking the founda-tions of their being. If you are really allowed to look into the divine world of beings, youunderstand that the first thing these beings tell you in the Christmas story is always, Donot be afraid! For lo, I come from a land ofangels to proclaim something to you. Theseangels are not cute, they are not baroquecherubs. When they become visible they stir and shake us most deeply in the depths of being.

This world, where children come from, is stillvery close to them. I think I can experience howclose the world of angels is to children. Whenchildren imitate, they direct all their will powerto see how we behave. They live in this will, Ijust have to be and act like my surroundings,then everything is well. This habit is carriedover from the spiritual world, where the childrenfound themselves in the good hands of spiritualbeings. Now it echoes in their ability to imitate.When you observe this you are sad at not beingan angel yourself. You feel you should try to bean example for the child. But it is not easy toguide the life of children in the way the angelshave done. You have to be conscious thatresponsibility is transferred slowly from thehands of the angels. You guide the children to independence through education for someyears, and then release them into maturity.

How many things were given to yousomehow impulsively in the form of changesand conversions when you were young? Thisslowly ends in the twenties. Then you have towork on these gifts. You have the feeling theangels still watch you and intervene in your fatefrom time to time. You get a push. But actuallythe point is to form a conscious contact withthe spiritual authority that guides your destiny.It is not so important that we have experiencesof angels, but that the angels experience us.This is important. You can hardly endure theseangel experiences. But it is important to beopen, so they can help you.

Handler: Can you tell us about a concreteevent where the help of an angel appears?

Von Kgelgen: I will tell you an examplegiven by Rudolf Steiner. It was during thetime of the foundation of Waldorf education.Rudolf Steiner was in Berlin. There were manyquestions concerning the foundation of theWaldorf School. Then Steiner said, Therelationship we have to our own genius, to our own angel, is different from that of earliermillennia, of earlier cultures. Since the arrival

12

of the modern ageabout the middle of thefifteenth century, when natural science andtechnology as we know them begantherelationship to angels changed. Steinerthought that everybody, not just teachers,ought to know this.

In fact, angels are more interested in whatwe do the next day than in what occupies us in our review of the past day. You should ask,What can I do better tomorrow? We preparethe next day with our angels during the night.Maybe we have an appointment the next dayat noon, a very important conversation. Insleep you consult your angel and preparesomething together. Then you wake up nextmorning having forgotten everything, ofcourse. One might ask, How do you save what must not be forgotten? Rudolf Steiner'sanswer was, It does not matter if you forget it. The angel is the one who did not forget.Then, when you get into the importantconversation, you have confidence because the angel lets something fall into you. Youhave an idea, and the right word comes at theright moment. What is more beautiful andmore important than to have the right idea at the right moment? The German languagehas a marvelous expression for this kind ofsudden idea: Einfall (literally, somethingfalling in). Here you can ask, Who let it fallin? This was the angel.

The relationship to the spiritual world is an acquired one. It has to do with thereligious in general, which has a will-fillednature. Religiousness is either of will nature,which means it leads to action, or it is notreligious. The will, the action, always movestowards the future. That is the interestingaspect of angels; they want to link you tothe future.

Handler: The student looks into the future as soon as school releases her. She becomesindependent and forms her own destiny.Questions are no longer answered by the

teacher. Pain and suffering are part of theadversities in his life. Trials and strokes of fate often place humans before seeminglyunanswerable questions of life. Can you say something about this?

Von Kgelgen: I think the most importantthing in dealing with your own fate is tonotice that strokes of fate, pain, and sufferinghave to do with your own individuality. Whenpain and suffering occurs we have to tellourselves over and over again, This mattersto me, this is a call for me. I shall learnsomething from it. If we do not have thisrelation to the angels, who always accompanyour fate, then, when pain and suffering hit, we only look around and ask, Who is guilty?Then the guilt is always laid on somebodyelse. We believe we can accomplish somethingby exposing somebody else, or even takingrevenge, instead of saying, Somebody elsemight be guilty, but this deed holds meaningfor me. I have to accept it. If you look backin life, you often find that, although not easyto accept in the moment, the importance ofthe event becomes evident later. If you lookback you might experience something similarto the young man who lived on the fat of theland from the money of his father. Then thefather became bankrupt, and the son suddenlyhad to care for himself. At first he was angryand cursed. But later, when he was forty-fouryears old, he said, For heaven's sake, had thatnot happened, what would have become ofme! I would have drowned in the drug scene,or something else, if my father had notbecome bankrupt. What he cursed earlier, he blessed when he looked back on his life.

In such a moment, when you can bless painand suffering, it is as if behind the events youcan feel the face of the angel and the flappingof wings. Then you may be able to help theone who caused the problem, by forgiving. Youwalk straight up to the person and forge linksbetween you despite what has happened. Thenyou realize how much salvation can result from

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of the modern ageabout the middle of thefifteenth century, when natural science andtechnology as we know them begantherelationship to angels changed. Steinerthought that everybody, not just teachers,ought to know this.

In fact, angels are more interested in whatwe do the next day than in what occupies us in our review of the past day. You should ask,What can I do better tomorrow? We preparethe next day with our angels during the night.Maybe we have an appointment the next dayat noon, a very important conversation. Insleep you consult your angel and preparesomething together. Then you wake up nextmorning having forgotten everything, ofcourse. One might ask, How do you save what must not be forgotten? Rudolf Steiner'sanswer was, It does not matter if you forget it. The angel is the one who did not forget.Then, when you get into the importantconversation, you have confidence because the angel lets something fall into you. Youhave an idea, and the right word comes at theright moment. What is more beautiful andmore important than to have the right idea at the right moment? The German languagehas a marvelous expression for this kind ofsudden idea: Einfall (literally, somethingfalling in). Here you can ask, Who let it fallin? This was the angel.

The relationship to the spiritual world is an acquired one. It has to do with thereligious in general, which has a will-fillednature. Religiousness is either of will nature,which means it leads to action, or it is notreligious. The will, the action, always movestowards the future. That is the interestingaspect of angels; they want to link you tothe future.

Handler: The student looks into the future as soon as school releases her. She becomesindependent and forms her own destiny.Questions are no longer answered by the

teacher. Pain and suffering are part of theadversities in his life. Trials and strokes of fate often place humans before seeminglyunanswerable questions of life. Can you say something about this?

Von Kgelgen: I think the most importantthing in dealing with your own fate is tonotice that strokes of fate, pain, and sufferinghave to do with your own individuality. Whenpain and suffering occurs we have to tellourselves over and over again, This mattersto me, this is a call for me. I shall learnsomething from it. If we do not have thisrelation to the angels, who always accompanyour fate, then, when pain and suffering hit, we only look around and ask, Who is guilty?Then the guilt is always laid on somebodyelse. We believe we can accomplish somethingby exposing somebody else, or even takingrevenge, instead of saying, Somebody elsemight be guilty, but this deed holds meaningfor me. I have to accept it. If you look backin life, you often find that, although not easyto accept in the moment, the importance ofthe event becomes evident later. If you lookback you might experience something similarto the young man who lived on the fat of theland from the money of his father. Then thefather became bankrupt, and the son suddenlyhad to care for himself. At first he was angryand cursed. But later, when he was forty-fouryears old, he said, For heaven's sake, had thatnot happened, what would have become ofme! I would have drowned in the drug scene,or something else, if my father had notbecome bankrupt. What he cursed earlier, he blessed when he looked back on his life.

In such a moment, when you can bless painand suffering, it is as if behind the events youcan feel the face of the angel and the flappingof wings. Then you may be able to help theone who caused the problem, by forgiving. Youwalk straight up to the person and forge linksbetween you despite what has happened. Thenyou realize how much salvation can result from

13

this, because in this moment you accept the smaller, outer pain and the greater, deepsuffering. These are also Einfalle, thingsfalling in from the realm of angels.

Often one speaks of the guardian angel andthinks, When disaster comes, the angel willarrive and protect me. This is correct withlittle children, who do not have a consciousrelation with the heavenly world. They havean angelic relation, or a direct relationship,which pertains to the unconscious will. Yetchildren are sometimes led into suffering; theyare not always protected. We should not seeall this pain and suffering as caused byenemies. Pain and suffering and ultimatelydeath approach us from the spiritual world ashelpers, as friends. Of course, one could say,You are sitting in comfort on a dry andbeautiful chair right now. It is warm and it is easy to say something like this in such a moment. But you have to think about itcalmly. When you have a look at your life inmoments of composure, then such thoughtscan become substance at your disposal. Whenpain and suffering fall upon you, then you canremember this. Be strong now, and also acceptthe help of the angel who asks no more of you than you can bear. This is forming theright relationship.

Handler: This is the way the adultconsciousness can deal with pain. Explain howit is with the child and about pleasure and joy.

Von Kgelgen: Pleasure and joy are importantfor us as adultsfor children they areessential. But we must not make the mistakethat we are entitled to pleasure and joy thesame way we are to pain and suffering. Weshould think of them as gifts of the gods, asgrace. Oh, what a blessedness to be lovedand to love, gods, what a blessedness! Thisexclamation of Goethe should flare up inthankfulness from the hearts of children.Thankfulness is the seed of all good habits.Thanks also to the help of angels when you

learn to accept and affirm pain and suffering.Children still reach consciously for this help.It is important for us to cultivate serenitybefore sending the children into sleep, with averse, a prayer, or a song, If you do this withall seriousness, then the child can have realspiritual experiences, like the child who said,No, I can't see my angel, for he holds me inhis arms. Sometimes it is sad to hear parentssay they do not pray with their child. Theyjust want to let the child decide on his ownwhether he wants to pray or not. During thetime when this bridge has to be built,something is missing.

It is different in adolescence, a time whenthe young person has to build up distance and try out the most absurd things. Theadolescent asks himself if something is stillreaching in from childhood like a deep, innerbeing. This area, which we earlier called theguardian angel, this spiritual world that weheard about in legends, tales, mythologies, thegospels, and so on, now begins to appear asone's own deeper force.

Handler: You also spoke about the helpingforces in relation to death. Could we, inconclusion, have a look at the Angel of Death?

Von Kgelgen: As I told you, Rudolf Steiner spoke about the fact that in ourtimes something has changed in relation tothe spiritual world and the world of angels.Angels do not force themselves upon uswhen we become mature, rather they waitfor us. You have to acquire a relationship tothe spiritual world. This is not simply givento you as a gift. In this way of acquisitionthe dead are of great help, however. ConradFerdinand Meyer captures this in his poem,Choir of the Dead, where he shows thatthe dead continue to be interested in whathappens on earth, in the people with whomthey lived together. Love can build bridges,for love has just this spiritual character. Herewe can cultivate the relation to the dead. It

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this, because in this moment you accept the smaller, outer pain and the greater, deepsuffering. These are also Einfalle, thingsfalling in from the realm of angels.

Often one speaks of the guardian angel andthinks, When disaster comes, the angel willarrive and protect me. This is correct withlittle children, who do not have a consciousrelation with the heavenly world. They havean angelic relation, or a direct relationship,which pertains to the unconscious will. Yetchildren are sometimes led into suffering; theyare not always protected. We should not seeall this pain and suffering as caused byenemies. Pain and suffering and ultimatelydeath approach us from the spiritual world ashelpers, as friends. Of course, one could say,You are sitting in comfort on a dry andbeautiful chair right now. It is warm and it is easy to say something like this in such a moment. But you have to think about itcalmly. When you have a look at your life inmoments of composure, then such thoughtscan become substance at your disposal. Whenpain and suffering fall upon you, then you canremember this. Be strong now, and also acceptthe help of the angel who asks no more of you than you can bear. This is forming theright relationship.

Handler: This is the way the adultconsciousness can deal with pain. Explain howit is with the child and about pleasure and joy.

Von Kgelgen: Pleasure and joy are importantfor us as adultsfor children they areessential. But we must not make the mistakethat we are entitled to pleasure and joy thesame way we are to pain and suffering. Weshould think of them as gifts of the gods, asgrace. Oh, what a blessedness to be lovedand to love, gods, what a blessedness! Thisexclamation of Goethe should flare up inthankfulness from the hearts of children.Thankfulness is the seed of all good habits.Thanks also to the help of angels when you

learn to accept and affirm pain and suffering.Children still reach consciously for this help.It is important for us to cultivate serenitybefore sending the children into sleep, with averse, a prayer, or a song, If you do this withall seriousness, then the child can have realspiritual experiences, like the child who said,No, I can't see my angel, for he holds me inhis arms. Sometimes it is sad to hear parentssay they do not pray with their child. Theyjust want to let the child decide on his ownwhether he wants to pray or not. During thetime when this bridge has to be built,something is missing.

It is different in adolescence, a time whenthe young person has to build up distance and try out the most absurd things. Theadolescent asks himself if something is stillreaching in from childhood like a deep, innerbeing. This area, which we earlier called theguardian angel, this spiritual world that weheard about in legends, tales, mythologies, thegospels, and so on, now begins to appear asone's own deeper force.

Handler: You also spoke about the helpingforces in relation to death. Could we, inconclusion, have a look at the Angel of Death?

Von Kgelgen: As I told you, Rudolf Steiner spoke about the fact that in ourtimes something has changed in relation tothe spiritual world and the world of angels.Angels do not force themselves upon uswhen we become mature, rather they waitfor us. You have to acquire a relationship tothe spiritual world. This is not simply givento you as a gift. In this way of acquisitionthe dead are of great help, however. ConradFerdinand Meyer captures this in his poem,Choir of the Dead, where he shows thatthe dead continue to be interested in whathappens on earth, in the people with whomthey lived together. Love can build bridges,for love has just this spiritual character. Herewe can cultivate the relation to the dead. It

14

is something really wonderful when you can accompany people over the threshold of death. It is incredible, that just as therehas been a first breath at birth, there is nowthe last breath at death, and suddenly thebody is abandoned. Sometimes a last seal ofindividuality forms at death so that you justrealize in this moment who has been livingwith you. The great difficulty is that wereally do not have a proper sentiment for the moment of death. The same way a newgeneration appears on earth through birth,so the further fate starts with the moment ofdeath. Not to be able to die for years, to waitfor the right moment, in all these mysterieslies the knowledge of angels whether a fatehas been accomplished. The angel of deathis the angel of eternal life, of spiritualindividuality. Therefore, you see, there are so many questions about the intensive care

unit and about everything that relates todeath, also about these widespread deaths in wars that continue to rage around us.

This way, you have to say, the attempt tocome to terms with it really requires a deepknowledge of fate. And we only gain this formfrom the relationship with angels. We have to acquire this, it will not be given to us as a gift. It is wonderful when you are shown somuch through the spiritual science of RudolfSteiner, from the research of this man. Thishelps you to open up to your own experiencesand your own quest, and to research thequestion of fate.

To summarize: The finding of the rightrelationship to the angels hinges upon how wewill bring something to them. Only in this waycan they form something in our life. Throughsuch a relationship they have the opportunityto play apart and we want to grant them this.

Dr. von Kgelgen spent thirty years as a teacher at the original Waldorf school in Stuttgart, andwas the founder of the International Association of Waldorf Kindergartens. This translated articlewas reprinted with permission from the International Waldorf Kindergarten Association.

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is something really wonderful when you can accompany people over the threshold of death. It is incredible, that just as therehas been a first breath at birth, there is nowthe last breath at death, and suddenly thebody is abandoned. Sometimes a last seal ofindividuality forms at death so that you justrealize in this moment who has been livingwith you. The great difficulty is that wereally do not have a proper sentiment for the moment of death. The same way a newgeneration appears on earth through birth,so the further fate starts with the moment ofdeath. Not to be able to die for years, to waitfor the right moment, in all these mysterieslies the knowledge of angels whether a fatehas been accomplished. The angel of deathis the angel of eternal life, of spiritualindividuality. Therefore, you see, there are so many questions about the intensive care

unit and about everything that relates todeath, also about these widespread deaths in wars that continue to rage around us.

This way, you have to say, the attempt tocome to terms with it really requires a deepknowledge of fate. And we only gain this formfrom the relationship with angels. We have to acquire this, it will not be given to us as a gift. It is wonderful when you are shown somuch through the spiritual science of RudolfSteiner, from the research of this man. Thishelps you to open up to your own experiencesand your own quest, and to research thequestion of fate.

To summarize: The finding of the rightrelationship to the angels hinges upon how wewill bring something to them. Only in this waycan they form something in our life. Throughsuch a relationship they have the opportunityto play apart and we want to grant them this.

Dr. von Kgelgen spent thirty years as a teacher at the original Waldorf school in Stuttgart, andwas the founder of the International Association of Waldorf Kindergartens. This translated articlewas reprinted with permission from the International Waldorf Kindergarten Association.

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We hear of the many changes that havetaken place in Waldorf education. The winds ofchange are also blowing in Eastern Europe.1 Itis called Perestroika, the restructuring. GeorgeF. Kennan has spoken of Perestroika and itsfounder, Gorbachev, in this way: This is an age of change and Gorbachev has made him-self its angel and its instrument. Gorbachevhas brought the greatest changes imaginable in Russia and in Eastern Europe, but what ismeant here by angel? And what is the spiritof this time?

Rudolf Steiner had twenty-three peoplebefore him when he started the lecturesknown as the Study of Man.2 These are apreparation for the educational work of thisage, for this epoch. His opening pers